Compare
Wall Paint: six styles, side by side
The same wall paint brief resolved six ways. Paint is the cheapest lever in the house and the one most often pulled badly. We choose the sheen and the undertone for the light the room actually gets.
Photo: Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos · BY 2.0Side by side
All six, in one row
Scroll sideways to compare, or filter down to the styles you are choosing between.
Photo: Qole Pejorian · BY 2.0- Layout
- Single chalk tone throughout
- Colour
- Chalk white, warm undertone
- Sheen
- Matt, 2% sheen
What changes: One colour on walls, ceiling and trim so the room reads as a volume.
Photo: Rusty Clark ~ 100K Photos · BY 2.0- Layout
- Charcoal feature wall
- Colour
- Charcoal with an oxblood alcove
- Sheen
- Matt walls, eggshell joinery
What changes: Colour-drenching a single alcove or wall to create depth.
Photo: Wonderlane · CC0 1.0- Layout
- Lime-wash in warm ochre
- Colour
- Warm ochre lime-wash
- Sheen
- Lime-wash, natural chalk finish
What changes: Hand-applied lime-wash with visible brush movement.
Photo: dalbera · BY 2.0- Layout
- Ivory with a picture rail
- Colour
- Ivory with a gilt-picked bead
- Sheen
- Eggshell with a satin bead
What changes: Panel mouldings picked out in a second sheen.
Photo: Brian Reynolds · BY 2.0- Layout
- Sage half-wall with birch
- Colour
- Soft sage below, chalk above
- Sheen
- Matt with a satin dado rail
What changes: A two-tone wall split at dado height.
Photo: Patrick Feller · BY 2.0- Layout
- Emerald lacquered panel
- Colour
- Deep emerald, high sheen
- Sheen
- High-gloss lacquer
What changes: Sprayed high-gloss lacquer, mirror-flat.
At a glance
The differences in one table
| Style | Layout | Colour | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serene Minimal | Single chalk tone throughout | Chalk white, warm undertone | Homes wanting calm, uninterrupted wall planes |
| Bold Contemporary | Charcoal feature wall | Charcoal with an oxblood alcove | Rooms that need depth and drama without joinery |
| Modern Heritage | Lime-wash in warm ochre | Warm ochre lime-wash | Homes wanting a natural, breathable, hand-made finish |
| Classic Luxe | Ivory with a picture rail | Ivory with a gilt-picked bead | Formal rooms with panelling and cornice |
| Indo-Scandinavian | Sage half-wall with birch | Soft sage below, chalk above | Family homes needing durability at child height |
| Art Deco Glam | Emerald lacquered panel | Deep emerald, high sheen | Statement walls in dining rooms, bars and powder rooms |
Sizing
Wall Paint dimensions by home size
| Home size | Typical room dimension | Layout that usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 BHK | One tone, whole flat | Single chalk tone throughout |
| 2 BHK | One accent per room | Charcoal feature wall |
| 3 BHK | Lime-wash in living areas | Lime-wash in warm ochre |
| 4 BHK | Panelling in formal rooms | Ivory with a picture rail |
| 4+ BHK / Villa | Full bespoke scheme | Sage half-wall with birch |
How to choose
Picking between the six
The honest way to choose is to eliminate rather than select: rule out the styles that clash with what is already fixed in the home — the flooring, the window frames, an existing kitchen you are not replacing — and choose from what remains. Most people arrive certain about one style and leave having picked a different one once the elimination is done.
Layout tends to decide the choice before palette does. Two or three of the six styles above will suit your actual room dimensions and door positions; the rest will look right in the photograph and fight the room in practice. Start from the layout column in the table below, not the material column.
If two styles both work on paper, the deciding question is usually maintenance: how much upkeep the household will actually do. A high-gloss Bold scheme and a hand-oiled Heritage one both look considered on day one; only one of them stays that way without regular attention.
Behind a bed, centre the pattern on the bed rather than the wall; the bed is what the eye reads it against.
Where a wall finish meets a switch plate, the plate should sit on the finish, not be papered around after fixing.
Questions
Choosing a wall paint style
Which of these six suits a family with young children?
Serene Minimal and Indo-Scandinavian tend to wear best under daily family use — pale, matt surfaces show less than high gloss, and both specify durable, easily cleaned materials by default. Bold Contemporary and Art Deco Glam ask for more careful living.
Can wall paint mix two of these styles in one room?
Within reason. The six are coherent palettes rather than fixed rules, and most finished homes borrow across two. What rarely works is switching palette within one sightline in the same room.
Does the layout change between styles, or only the material?
Both. Each style resolves the wall paint brief with a different layout logic as well as a different material direction — see the layout column in the table above for exactly how.
Which style costs the least for a wall paint?
None of the six carries an inherent price premium over the others at the same specification tier — the cost difference between two wall paint projects usually comes from hardware grade and finish level, not from which of the six styles was chosen.
How do I see my own room in more than one of these styles?
Bring the floor plan to a consultation. We draw your actual room in the two or three styles you are choosing between rather than a generic version of each, which is usually what settles it.
Next step
Choose your wall paint style with a designer.
Send the plan. We will draw your actual room in the two you are torn between and put them next to each other.